MILFORD -- A vote on Mayor James L. Richetelli Jr.'s proposal to suspend a section of the city's planning and zoning regulations in an effort to "ease the burden" on residents affected by Hurricane Irene was postponed.

Richetelli on Tuesday night said at the PZB meeting at City Hall that six residents' homes are uninhabitable as a result of the hurricane. Another 200 homes had major damage, while several thousand had some damage.

Richetelli's proposal is to suspend zoning regulations for repair and replacement of structures severely damaged. The zoning regulations would be suspended from Aug. 29 until Aug. 28, 2012.

It would allow any resident whose home had more than 50 percent damage to repair, rebuild, replace and/or retain any pre-existing, legal nonconforming building, dwelling and structure in the same location before the hurricane.

Several shoreline homes, which is where most of the damaged structures are, were grandfathered before the adoption of zoning regulations.

If a structure has more than 50 percent damage, it would have to conform to today's zoning regulations. Several shoreline homes had fences destroyed, which are no longer allowed. But Richetelli's proposal would allow homeowners to rebuild exactly what they had before the storm, including replacing their fences.

The PZB tabled a vote on the mayor's request as several members wanted a week delay to address some questions concerning the proposed resolution. No new meeting date was set late Tuesday.

The mayor said it's unclear how many people would be affected by his proposal, but if it helps one person then it's worth it.

"It's the compassionate thing to do," Richetelli said.

He said the goal is to allow residents to rebuild "exactly" what they had prior to the hurricane. He said residents would need to prove that the damage was a result of the storm.

PZB Chairwoman Susan Shaw, whose home was destroyed by Irene, said she would like to get input from the public, and believes the scope of the proposal needs to be better defined. Shaw requested a one-week delay to help answer some questions.

Richetelli pressed for a vote Tuesday night, saying time is of the essence, but later said a week delay would be manageable.

Several Republican zoning members, including Robert Dickman, said the board should approve the request immediately because of the "people who are hurting."

PZB member Mark Bender questioned how the regulation could be enforced so some residents cannot take advantage of the suspension.

PZB member Kevin Liddy questioned whether the board would be forced to suspend its regulations if there are bad fires, tornados or other severe storms.

But Richetelli said the storm was of "historic and catastrophic" proportion, and residents need relief. The mayor said it would be "not human" to not help residents.